Xu Ruyan accepted the banner with delight.
This was a good thing!
In this day and age, having a banner in hand meant people would look at you with more respect wherever you went, and your words carried more weight.
“Thank you, Director Zhao!”
Xu Ruyan smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons.
This was her protective charm.
Once she got to the countryside, if anyone dared to bully her, they’d have to think twice when faced with this banner!
After leaving the Public Security Bureau, Xu Ruyan carefully stored the banner and the pen with the medal into her Spatial Dimension.
Before the administrative office closed for the day, she also completed her household registration.
The household page only had her own name on it—the entire Xu Weiguo family had been removed by her!
Xu Ruyan no longer had to worry about being implicated by the crimes and class status of Xu Weiguo’s family.
Finally, she brought a bag of egg cakes to the street office. The director remembered her and was curious when she requested a change to her relocation destination.
“Comrade, do you know someone in Bai Family Village?”
Xu Ruyan smiled. “Sort of.”
She had been betrothed as a child to the only son of the He family in the capital.
The He family was third-generation military. With the current strict investigations, their family had been purged, and the mandatory relocation quota fell on this only son.
His downward relocation destination was Bai Family Village in the northwest.
Xu Ruyan didn’t plan to seek refuge with her betrothed, but she would indeed have need of this person in the future.
Xu Ruyan calculated that when policies opened up later, those who had been forcibly relocated would eventually receive political rehabilitation and return to the cities.
Her betrothed had been a regiment-level officer before his relocation, and as third-generation military from the capital, his family had power and influence.
When Xu Ruyan eventually returned to the city and wanted to ride the wave of reform to build her fortune, she would need connections.
The only connection she could grasp right now was this military officer fiancé with a solid red background in the capital.
Anyway, since she was going to the northwest, it didn’t matter which village she was sent to.
She might as well plan early for her future return to the city—doing favors and building connections.
After thinking through her plans, Xu Ruyan went to the Lin family ancestral home to say goodbye.
Looking at the mess left behind after the house search, her eyes grew warm. She leaned against the red wooden door, her lips trembling as she murmured to herself.
“Mom, don’t worry. When the authorities return the property in the future, I will definitely get back everything that belongs to our Lin family!”
Xu Ruyan felt deep sorrow. Though her great revenge had been achieved and her enemies had received their due punishment—paying with their lives and being sentenced to death—the sight stirred old memories. Thinking of her past life, she couldn’t help but feel melancholy.
Xu Ruyan quietly wiped away her tears and quickly pulled herself together. Since the Lin family home had been stripped bare, there was no way to live there.
With two days left before the educated youth were to be sent to the countryside together, Xu Ruyan simply spent that time at a guesthouse.
She wasn’t idle during those two days either.
She went around using ration tickets to stock up on supplies, and also visited the scrap recycling station, picking up many books others had discarded—like ones on raising pigs and farming, which would be useful in the countryside.
Especially textbooks—Xu Ruyan treasured those dearly.
When the Gaokao was restored in the future, she would rely on those textbooks to review in advance and prepare for university!
The two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Soon, the day arrived for the city’s educated youth to head to the countryside together.
Train tickets were uniformly prepared by the street office for the educated youth, so there was no need to spend their own money.
Xu Ruyan’s belongings were all in her Spatial Dimension.
She simply carried a simple army-green canvas bag and hugged a relatively lightweight bedroll—nothing too conspicuous.
The train station was quite lively, with many people seeing off the educated youth.
Xu Ruyan was alone, and no one paid her any attention.
She weaved through the crowd boarding the train, squeezing through the packed carriage until she finally reached her seat.
“Comrade, hello, this is my seat.”
Xu Ruyan looked at the young woman sitting in her seat—wearing a white shirt, with twin braids, and a fairly polite demeanor. She checked the seat number several times before finally reaching out to tap her.
The female comrade had been chatting and laughing with the person beside her.
When her shoulder was lightly tapped by Xu Ruyan, she frowned in distaste and turned around to look at her warily. “Who are you?”
Xu Ruyan held up her ticket in front of her. “Comrade, you’re sitting in my seat. Could you please move?”
Liu Qingqing’s eyes flickered slightly. She smiled apologetically and said in a gentle, soft voice, “Oh, I’m so sorry, comrade. Could we switch seats?”
“I want to sit with my friend. I can see you’re alone, so how about you take my seat instead?”
Liu Qingqing jutted her chin toward a seat further back.
Xu Ruyan glanced over.
The person in the neighboring seat was a burly, dark-skinned brute with a thick build. He had his legs crossed, shoes off, picking at his toes—filthy and disgusting.
Because he was so large, he took up the space of two seats, leaving barely any room to sit.
Not only that, the brute reeked of heavy body odor that wafted all the way across the aisle and assaulted Xu Ruyan’s nostrils.
Xu Ruyan turned back and saw Liu Qingqing looking at her with a sweet smile, her gentle gaze tinged with apology.
Xu Ruyan smiled back, completely unfooled by the act. “That won’t do. This is my seat. You should give it back to me.”
Liu Qingqing’s expression shifted slightly. Her voice remained gentle, but a hint of displeasure crept in, and her tone grew firmer: “Comrade, I’ve already discussed this with you nicely about switching seats. Why are you being so unreasonable?”
“Everyone has friends—except you. I want to sit with my friend, so just do me this favor. It won’t cause any trouble.”
Around them, some educated youth who relished watching the drama chimed in, casting accusatory looks at Xu Ruyan.
“That’s right, comrade. You’re alone anyway. What’s the harm in switching? It’s just a seat.”
“No need to be so domineering and unreasonable. Didn’t she ask you nicely?”
Hearing others speak up for her, Liu Qingqing couldn’t help but curl her lips into a smug smile.
These educated youth, knowing they’d be sent to the countryside, had all contacted and gotten to know each other in advance.
When city-educated youth were assigned to the same rural location, they tended to band together. Once a clique formed, outsiders found it hard to break in.
Liu Qingqing was part of this clique now, and thanks to her pretty face, she was the object of admiration, held up like a star among these youth.
Xu Ruyan, alone and an outsider, naturally had no one on her side.
Xu Ruyan let out a cold laugh. Her gaze swept across the crowd with oppressive force, and her powerful aura instantly silenced those who had been making snide remarks, leaving them shrinking back.
She raised an eyebrow slightly, then casually dumped her luggage onto Liu Qingqing’s lap, smiling: “Sorry, but your moral kidnapping won’t work on me. I said I won’t switch, so I won’t!”
“If anyone sympathizes with her and thinks I should switch, then go ahead and switch yourselves. Picking on a young girl like me isn’t much of an achievement.”
With the lessons of her past life etched into her memory, Xu Ruyan wasn’t about to let herself suffer even the slightest loss this time around.
Whoever dared to bully her, she’d crush them!
Xu Ruyan’s mouth fired off like a machine gun as she coldly surveyed the surrounding youth, smiling.
“You all claim to be so righteous—why don’t you step up and volunteer to switch with her? Aren’t you all just talking big without lifting a finger? Anyone can flap their lips, but when it comes to actually doing something, you all go silent. Fake nobility, false justice—who are you trying to fool!”
The people who had been defending Liu Qingqing were rendered speechless by Xu Ruyan’s rebuttal. Their faces flushed red, and they lowered their heads one by one, none daring to make another sound.
Liu Qingqing, with Xu Ruyan’s luggage pressing down on her legs, wore an ugly expression.
She awkwardly tugged at the corner of her lips, her gentle voice tinged with reproach: “Comrade, if you won’t switch, then fine. I’ll just go sit in my own seat. Was there any need for all this?”
“Then why didn’t you do that earlier?”
Xu Ruyan didn’t indulge her at all. She smiled and called her out directly: “I said no from the start, but you wouldn’t leave. Now that no one’s backing you up, you’re playing the victim. I’m the one whose seat was taken for no reason—I’m the one who should be upset. Don’t try to turn the blame on me.”
“You—!”
Liu Qingqing’s eyes widened, her face flushed red with shame. Tears welled up in her eyes, and with a blink, she looked ready to cry from frustration.
Her friend quickly comforted her: “Enough, if she won’t switch, then she won’t. Let’s not stoop to the level of someone so unreasonable and rude.”
Xu Ruyan lazily lifted her eyelids to look at her, letting out a mocking laugh: “If you’re really that loyal, then don’t put your friend in an awkward spot.”
“You didn’t say a word for her earlier, and now you’re putting on a show of false sincerity. If you’re truly her friend, why don’t you take the initiative to ask that brother over there to switch seats?”
As she spoke, Xu Ruyan gasped dramatically, covering her mouth and pretending to look hurt and aggrieved. She stared at them with a pitiful expression, even mimicking their act of wiping tears.
“You wouldn’t think I’m some pushover you can squeeze, teaming up to bully a young girl like me, would you? Surely not, surely not?”
“Don’t talk nonsense! I—I didn’t…”
The friend, who had been comforting Liu Qingqing and joining in on the snide remarks, now flushed red at Xu Ruyan’s words. She stared blankly at Xu Ruyan, furious but not daring to speak, afraid that Xu Ruyan’s sharp little mouth might say something else to embarrass them.
“Alright, none of you need to switch. Comrade, come sit in my seat.”
A clear, refined male voice suddenly sounded from behind Xu Ruyan.
She instinctively turned around and saw a young, handsome man also dressed in a white shirt and green army pants, standing up and gathering his things.
He had sharp brows and piercing eyes, with a properly handsome face. Standing around 1.78 meters tall, he was tall and upright. The moment he spoke, many of the female educated youth around blushed.
From the looks of it, among this group of educated youth heading to Bai Family Village in the northwest, he was the leader.
“Comrade Wen, I… thank you.”
Liu Qingqing also blushed, looking up with tearful, glistening eyes and smiling gratefully at him.
Wen Yan gave a refined smile, stood up, and offered his seat to Xu Ruyan: “Comrade, take my seat. I’ll go sit in yours.”
Xu Ruyan couldn’t help but take another look at him. After a moment’s thought, she didn’t refuse: “Alright.”
She placed her luggage on the overhead rack, pushing it further in.
After all, it was a mutually agreeable arrangement—if someone was willing to step up and play the good guy, she wasn’t about to stop them.
Liu Qingqing was still thanking Wen Yan for his help.
Her watery, glistening eyes were full of affection as she shyly lowered her head, chatting pleasantly with Wen Yan.
Xu Ruyan, seated in her spot, couldn’t be bothered with them. She closed her eyes and pretended to doze off.
Beside her sat a few young female educated youth, the three of them gathered around the table cracking sunflower seeds and gossiping.
“Hey, have you heard? In a few days, another group of educated youth being sent down will arrive in the countryside. They’re really pitiful—they’re all going to the poorest, harshest villages in the Northwest.”
“I heard about that! Just a couple of days ago, a female comrade was paraded through the streets as a Capitalist. I heard they even shaved her head in a yin-yang style! God, how terrifying!”
“She probably has no face left to live. If I were shaved and paraded around, then sent down to some godforsaken place, I’d have jumped into a river and ended it all long ago!”
Xu Ruyan’s ears twitched slightly, but she didn’t open her eyes, thinking to herself.
That female comrade is most likely Xu Yunhua. So she’s only going to the countryside in a few days.
That makes sense—the Public Security Bureau’s punishment for her is to be detained for a few days for ideological education. They’ll just miss each other.
A cold smirk curled at the corner of Xu Ruyan’s lips.
This time, it’s Xu Yunhua’s turn to be branded a Capitalist and sent down, letting her taste firsthand the suffering Xu Ruyan endured in her past life.
Xu Ruyan lazily opened her eyes, not giving the matter another thought.
Xu Yunhua going to the Northwest—even if she survives, she’ll be skinned alive. They probably won’t ever cross paths again in this lifetime.
At noon, the train began selling boxed meals.
Xu Ruyan got up, ready to head to the dining car for lunch.
As she passed through a carriage, it was in chaos. Xu Ruyan heard a woman’s heart-wrenching cries.
“Erwa! Erwa, what’s wrong with you! Open your eyes, don’t scare your mother, Erwa!”
“Doctor, doctor, save him! Is there a doctor here? Please, save my Erwa!”